705km (438 miles) S of Paris; 26km (16 miles) NE of Arles; 19km (12 miles) S of Avignon; 13km (8 miles) N of Les Baux
We're not alone in our enthusiasm for St-Rémy, for we've spotted Princess Caroline here several times. Nostradamus, the famous French physician/astrologer, was born here in 1503. In 1922, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas found St-Rémy after "wandering around everywhere a bit," as Ms. Stein wrote to Cocteau. But mainly St-Rémy is associated with Vincent van Gogh: He committed himself to an asylum here in 1889 after cutting off his left ear. His "cell" was later occupied by an interned German during World War I -- Albert Schweitzer. Between moods of despair, van Gogh painted such works as Olive Trees and Cypresses.
Come to sleepy St-Rémy today not only for its history and sights, but for an experience of Provençal small-town living that you won't find in Aix or Avignon. It's a market town of considerable charm and attracts the occasional celebrity who "hides out" here away from the hordes.
